Ron Asheton, 1948-2009

Original Stooge Ron Asheton has been found dead in his apartment. Along with his work with the Stooges, Asheton played with various late-20th Century superstars including Mark Arm and Thurston Moore and (in memorable dates at Wetlands some years back) J. Mascis and Mike Watt. He rocked exceptionally hard. Tributes appear at Brooklyn Vegan (with videos); at Flaming Pablum, which points back to its 2005 consideration of Funhouse ("if you can listen to the first three tracks... without adopting a pronounced swagger to your stride... then you should probably go buy yourself a Judy Collins record and start collecting ornamental doilies"); and at NME, which reviews Asheton's five greatest riffs.